DAILY WORD 6/22/20

1. Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins.

2. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses.

3. That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

4. And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.

5. That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”

6. And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 5:1–6 NLT

Today’s passage continues on with the thought that the author of the Book of Hebrews began at the end of Chapter 4. There, he introduced the idea that Jesus was the Great High Priest, able to “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;”.

Because of this Unique and Singular Status that Jesus Holds, He is Able to Afford us a level of Communication and Connection that can only be Provided by a Priest and then, only One that has been through what we have. Because of His time in our shoes, Jesus Knows what we are going through.

In this passage, the author takes the next step in breaking down the intricacies of this Relationship between Jesus and the Office of Great High Priest. This is yet another example of “meat” that I’ve been referring to throughout this Study. Not necessarily easy to grasp but nourishing to our souls as we chew on it.

The author begins by addressing the duties of a Priest. He offers a definition of their duties and breaks down their job description. They were the go-between linking God and man. They were also there to help guide the people away from the improper path when they strayed away from God’s Will.

They could do this because they were subject to the very same issues as we are as human beings. This is why they too had to make sacrifices for their sins. Then he goes on, giving us another aspect of their qualifications.

That second aspect can be summed up on one word; calling. A priest could not just want the job and then be a priest. They must first be Called by God and then they could begin the process of becoming a priest.

Even Jesus Himself was Called to become the Great High Priest. He did not just decide He was going to take on the Mantel and then go do it. He waited until He was Chosen by God and then He took on the Work involved with the Office.

Through the Spirit, Jesus takes the Sacrifices of our Praise and our offerings in the form of supplications to the Throne of God so that, as it is stated in Verse 16 of Chapter 4, we can “come boldly unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need.

He also Helps to Guide us away from the pitfalls and snares of the improper path when we take a wrong turn and He assists us to get back on the Right Track. In this way, because He has been where we are, He is able to Give us the Perfect Assistance just when we need it.

This is the Role that Jesus Took On when He Became the Great High Priest and Sacrificed His Life for the Salvation of our sins. He is not only our Go-Between but He Knows what we are feeling because He Felt it all too! We could never ask for a better Representative to Go before the Throne than Jesus with all His Vast Wealth of Experience Provides us!

Have a Momentous Monday and Stay Safe out there!